A disorganized and somewhat clumsy blog, it was created as a means to share thoughts and input on topics that relate to politics, culture, and in some rare occasions, sports. I'll also post things on whatever I've missed, but what else is there to talk about? By the way, I only blog when it feels like fun. If it feels like work, I won't do it.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I don't check out my facebook profile that much. I'm so bad at managing my page, that I know the last time I updated my profile. January 2006. Having just read through it, it's pretty much all out of date. Especially the part where it says I "hate kids." I've never actually hated them, but enough people have read that and took it to be true. Apparently, reading the very next sentence to save yourself aggravation was too much to ask. It says "Rhetorically speaking, of course."

But every now and then I check up on my profile, only to find out it has changed. And every change seems to be followed up with outrage by its users. Petitions (a frequent exercise in futility and stupidity by 'facebookers') against the changes never work, despite the millions who join these groups.

They hated the newsfeed because it was invasive of others' privacy, but no one seems to remember they put up and take down such information voluntarily. Admittedly, it's creepy, but then again, I don't post details of my personal life I don't want others knowing on the internet.

Now everyone hates the new facebook. I like the old one, but I don't invest time on these social networking sites to care whether or not it gets changed. I just don't use it enough.

The other thing that gets on my nerves about this is that everyone seems to be joining meaningless groups and organizations that really don't do anything. "1 Million Strong for Obama," for example. First, in a nation that has over 110 million people, 1 million isn't anything. It's expendable.

I could just delete my profile, never to use it again. Besides, I'm really not interested in looking at your profile, let alone mine. Me thinks the only reason I haven't updated it in so long extends from the fact that I had planned to update it again, once I got a real job. But sadly, that may never happen. But at least I'll have a glimpse of what I was thinking about, back in late 2005/early 2006.

- I saw the debate between Obama and McCain last week. McCain may have won on his knowledge of the issues. But pundits are giving the win to Obama because, well, they don't really know. They're idiots.

- I don't go on facebook much, but right now, most of my friends seem to want Obama. I'm beginning to harbor contemptuous feelings towards the stupid things they say about McCain.

- Screw the bailout. We don't have $700 billion to spend. It's short-sided and has negative long-term implications. What lesson do we as a whole learn if every bad decision we make will be backed up by the American taxpayer? Let them sink so that the children of today can see their parents' failures and not make the same choices they did. You'll thank me for this, someday.

- Matt Millen was fired. Wow. And Kwame's gone. At least one poll indicates Detroit is looking up after Kilpatrick left town. Why?

- Matt Millen's firing lifts a huge weight off many a Lions' fans chest. Even though nothing will come of this season now that he is gone, at least now we can go back to the drawing board and hire a President/GM who can devise a plan that will build a foundation for success years down the road. Too much of Millen's problems were the fact that he had no faith in any system, changed coaches too often, and drafted for positions you cannot build a team around, like Wide Receiver.

- Joey Harrington was cut from Atlanta. Then signed by the Saints. Then cut less than a week later. Poor man. Detroit, get over him. He's gone.

- I'm moving to Wixom in a few days. This is good news for me, financially.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Lions are playing the 49ers this week. You just know Mike Martz is giving this game a ton of thought. Having been here for two years and producing nothing out of this club, he wants this win. Bad.

Martz can shut the naysayers up two ways. First, run the ball 50 times. The D-Line hasn't shown anything yet (despite Cory Redding having shown some of the promise from two years ago). Then he can put it back in his detractors' faces about never running the ball. Or, two, he could have a passing game that actually works, thereby vindicating his "system."

Enough about Martz. How about that J.T. O'Sullivan guy? So far, he's produced some fine statistics. This year, his QB rating is over 93. Even in backup duty last year, he didn't show much for being the 2nd string. I believe San Francisco takes this 28-17, sending Detroit 0-3 into the Bye week.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Last week, I referenced James Pethokoukis' article that Obama's fundraising had essentially "dried up." Now, new reports show Obama raised $66 million in August. Essentially, I contradicted myself. Or did I?

To be sure, Obama did set a new record, besting his previous $55 million in February. Many attribute this surge in donations due to John McCain's VP pick Sarah Palin.

But what people fail to realize is the fact that McCain, who opted for public financing while Obama did not, is expected to take in $84 million in public dollars after September 1. The McCain camp also disclosed that they have raised $47 million in August heading into the Republican convention.

On top of that, the Republican National Committee has consistently exceeded expectations in fundraising, while the Democratic Party has consistently missed their targets. Together, McCain and the Republican Party hope to amass $300 million for the general election through September and October. Combined, McCain and the Republicans have $194 million at their disposal.

All this leads to one conclusion: Team McCain has finally gotten the momentum on their side, right at the time they needed it most.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

So, the Leos blew their first game against the then-worst franchise in the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons. Marinelli is under intense scrutiny by the local media because supposedly he has a team of players "he wants." So be it. Having already announced some changes, his biggest change will be having MLB Jordon Dizon, a 2nd round pick in April, playing more snaps this game. So, he wasn't ready to handle the job prior to the start of the season, but somehow, he's good enough now to play more? Doesn't make sense, unless you consider that Paris Lenon is right now, the best they have for Quarterbacking the defense. Here's more on this and other changes, courtesy of Tom "Killer" Kowalski.My prediction: Aaron Rodgers is to Brett Favre what Frank Reich was to Jim Kelly. Green Bay 20, Detroit 14.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

I had to show this, because if nothing else, that website has been going through a rough dry spell the last couple of years. The shirts just haven't been that funny. This is the kind of shirt I'd classify as "shock and awe" which is the best you can get from that site.

Detroit is going into Atlanta this week to play the Falcons. Had it not been for the final cut last week, they would be playing against the team with their former "savior" of the franchise, Joey Harrington. Harrington would not have been playing, but it is ridiculous that the Falcons cut Harrington over Shockley. Harrington, when he played well, was benched in favor of another quarterback who choked. The Falcons are in absolute disarray, and will finish at the bottom of the league. My pick: Detroit 20, Atlanta 10.I do believe that this team is one year away from making the playoffs. I really do. But I also think that this team will finish with a record worse than last year. Well, 6-10 isn't that much worse than 7-9. But they'll be in better position to draft higher in April and will make an actual run in 2009. To me, the weakness is in the defensive line. Chuck Darby is only a stopgap measure replacing Shaun Rogers. They had to get rid of Rogers, but Darby won't be as effective when Rogers wanted to play. Maybe more consistent, but not dominating defensive tackle Rogers was when he brought his A game. I also question how well the defensive ends opposite Dewayne White will play. White is solid, but can Jared Devries or Akaika Alama-Francis step in and be dominant. What irony: Rod Marinelli, a defensive line specialist, his pet position, is no better off in his third year with the team in terms of the D-line unit. Come April, I hope they go for a DE or a DT.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Andrea Mitchell, who is about the most straight-laced and one of the most respected journalists in her profession, has apparently met her match with what else, balloons. It seems as though "Boom Boom Mitchell" as Tom Brokaw has named her, is overwhelmed while trying to cover an angle at the floor of the Republican Convention in St. Paul.

What did she do to deserve this?

Note: Thanks to Political Machine at AOL News and Liza Porteus Viana for the photo I just swiped from her article. Here's a link to the article at AOL.

Now that the Republican National Convention is over, here's my thoughts.McCain's acceptance speech: rather underwhelming. The pundits point out he offered no new policies, and instead, simply rehashed typical Republican policies. Points to Obama-Biden, who will use this to reinforce their claim that McCain is running for Bush's third term. I did however see for the first time tonight, McCain truly open up about his Viet Nam experiences in a way that came off humbling. He didn't mention the part where after he was forced into "confessing" to various war crimes (like bombing a school), that he had tried in vane to commit suicide. Maybe that would have been too deep to take for the electorate.Sarah Palin: it seems as though her acceptance speech outshown the Presidential nominee. It's as if to say the only reason conservative activists are getting excited about the ticket is because it's more Palin than McCain. Sidenote: if Palin's detractors are going to criticize her supposed lack of experience as a Mayor and Governor, the Democrats have no reason to throw tantrums over her deflecting that criticism into Senator Obama's community organizing experience. There is nothing wrong with getting involved with the community years back when Obama did and worked to make a difference in people's lives. But don't tell me that the work Palin did and does doesn't qualify as experience. Being a mayor is no part-time job; there are many things at stake, even in a small town like Wasilla, Alaska. It also means setting actual policies that affect people's lives, networking and conferencing with other municipalities for regional cooperation in order to meet challenges with greater resources, making decisions, and being held accountable for them. I say if one's community organizing is their sacred cow, then one's actual executive experience (which she has more than both of her rivals on the opposing ticket) should only be left to reasonable criticism about her preferences in policy.Second sidenote: Unless you have definitive, and I mean D-E-F-I-N-I-T-I-V-E proof that Trig, the 4-month-old baby with Down's Syndrome is not Sarah Palin's and is in fact her oldest daughter Bristol's, then either put up or shut up. It's one thing to criticize a policy about abstinence sex ed (which I do not support), but to use alleged "proof" like a slight bump in Bristol's stomach, and a not-so-visible bump in Sarah Palin's stomach is not enough to throw around meaningless accusations. If she were to have faked a pregnancy for the sake of concealing that Bristol is in her 2nd pregnancy, this would have required a fantastic amount of talent to silence dozens of people in to not saying anything. No nurses, doctors, aides, staffers, disgruntled relatives, no nothing. If it's true, Sarah Palin will pay a price for her lying and covering up. But the burden of proof rests upon the accuser, not the accused.Rudy Giuliani: a team player? Definitely hitting back hard at Obama Wednesday night.I didn't get to see much of the convention, what with working two full-time jobs. I don't think the GOP had as good a convention as the Democrats. They needed a good convention for McCain to get a solid bounce out of it. I think he'll get a bounce, but I don't know how much. It's been my assessment that McCain needs two things to win the general election: a good convention, and an even better showing in the debates. At this point, it's all up to the debates next month.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

I am to Eastern Michigan's football team what peace activists in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are to America if you read some of my posts here. We love the school, but feel obligated to speak the truth about things.

Since EMU plays Michigan State this weekend, I think it's pretty obvious to me and everyone else the outcome. What isn't is whether or not I'm a true Green and White supporter. I'm certainly not a die-hard fan of EMU football, but I wouldn't say I'm for them losing all the time.

Face it, EMU cannot be a competitive program year in and year out. With Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame constantly fishing this large and rich pool of athletic talent, Mid American Conference schools are left with whatever the national programs threw back. EMU has yet to put together a football program in all the time I've been there and since left that can draw large sell out crowds at Rynearson Stadium. They don't have the money, the recruiters, nor the lore of a school like Michigan or Notre Dame.

Even John at SpartyMSU is predicting a blowout victory for the Spartans. He admits on his blog what I've been saying over at EMU Talk. This game is basically a tune-up against EMU.

Because, in the end, it's all about money. Money for EMU, and investing in your freshmen and sophomore talent for MSU to cash in next year.